At the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, faculty and staff are committed to advancing racial equity, and one of the most important vehicles is the national Grand Challenges for Social Work. The 12 Grand Challenges focus on individual and family well-being, creating a stronger social fabric, and creating a just society.
The Brown School is providing national leadership on the Grand Challenges. Michael Sherraden, the George Warren Brown Distinguished University Professor, is co-chair of the Grand Challenges Executive Committee, and provides a webinar overview of the Grand Challenges.
Many other members of our faculty and staff are actively engaged in original evidence-based research that will provide a solution roadmap for meeting these challenges.
You can learn more about some of this work below:
- Advancing long and productive lives: Nancy Morrow-Howell, the Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy, is an international leader in gerontology. Her research contributes to knowledge about programs, policies and organizational arrangements that maximize the engagement of older adults while promoting positive outcomes for the individuals themselves.
- Promoting smart decarceration: Annie Grier, MSW, is a project manager at the Brown School’s Center for Social Development (CSD), where her work focuses on reversing mass incarceration in the United States. Associate Professor Carrie Pettus-Davis and Grier’s research originated at the Brown School and will be continuing at Florida State University. Pettus-Davis is also a faculty director within CSD.
- Building financial capability for all: Gena Gunn McClendon, PhD, is project director of the Financial Capability and Asset Building initiative at CSD. This work focuses on financial capability across the life cycle and the inclusion of everyone.